Handheld portable devices such as cellular telephones have a screen which show, among other things, previous phone numbers called or the phone number the user wishes to call. However, telephone functions are only one feature of current handheld portable devices. For example, in handheld devices such as cell phones, many functions such as a web browser, a timer, an alarm clock, a calendar, a media player, a camera etc. may be used. As such devices have increased in functionality, different screens are displayed to communicate more information and provide more options to a user. Further, there are many more items on each screen to accommodate different functions. Such functions require screen space and thus crowd a screen As a result, it becomes more difficult for a user to focus on the characters on the screen that perform the function desired.
Currently, adjusting the display in order to highlight certain characters, such as by displaying these characters in a larger font, is a cumbersome process involving using multiple keys to access a sequence of instructions via the keypad. For example on certain cell phones, a user must select a menu which is displayed on the screen, make a selection on the menu, and then confirm the instruction to change the character display. Such complexity inhibits a user's ability to efficiently use the device since most users will simply not take advantage of the different sized display of the characters because of the complexity of the steps to adjust the display. Further when on a call, a user cannot adjust characters on the screen readily in order to better view the characters.
More specifically, more complex cellular phones and/or PDA's typically have a home screen/display and other screens/displays that can be reached from the home screen/display. A home screen is typically a screen to which the cell phone/PDA defaults to on start-up. It typically provides one or more icons that can be selected to reach other screens and/or menus. Other screens include a settings screen wherein various features of the cell phone (e.g., color style, wallpaper, ring tones, ring volume, hot key assignments, etc.) can be selected. Cell phones/PDAs also typically include a dialing/addressing screen wherein a phone number or email address can be entered to initiate a communication session with another device. If a user wishes to adjust the display characteristics of the cell phone/PDA, it may be necessary to leave the home screen and/or the dialing/addressing screen and enter the settings screen, a cumbersome process.